This invention relates to a system for aerating an aqueous solution, particularly to a system for supersaturating an aqueous solution with oxygen.
Oxygen transfer within an aqueous solution is a process having utility in a variety of industries, particularly the waste management industry. In the past twenty years, the waste management industry has found that oxygen induced into effluent greatly encourages growth of aerobic bacteria. Aerobic bacteria is one of two basic processes employed in the treatment of sanitary sewerage. Aerobic bacteria is most desired in that it is active, thereby reducing the time of processing waste materials, and it produces a high quality effluent that can be introduced into navigable waters, streams, lakes or disbursed on to land.
Although aerobic bacteria is efficient and effective, there are a number of factors that must be considered when designing a waste management process which will utilize aerobic bacteria. A primary factor is the cost of mechanical equipment for nurturing the growth of aerobic bacteria and assisting its positive influence. Another factor is the destruction of aerobic bacteria by foreign material present in the effluent. In some instances, aerobic bacteria microbes greatly diminish or cease activity due to lack of sufficient levels of oxygen in the effluent.
In the past twenty years, a number of aeration devices have been used to aid aerobic waste management systems. For example, floating mixers, spray ponds and air lifts have all been used in aerobic digestion. A commonly employed system utilizes an air compressor to induce large volumes of air into the system. While this technique has encountered some success, it has the disadvantage of being unable to sufficiently oxygenate the effluent to permit efficient utilization of oxygen by the aerobic bacteria.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system for the treatment of liquid waste by intimately mixing the liquid waste with air so that oxygen is dissolved therein, thereby providing a desirable environment for aerobic bacteria activity and oxidation of the liquid waste.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system for dissolving oxygen in an aqueous solution by creating a low pressure vortex in the aqueous stream for drawing air into the aqueous solution until it is supersaturated with oxygen.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a process for creating negative pressure in a vortex chamber in the range up to thirty inches of mercury (Hg) for pumping large volumes of air into a aqueous solution stream passing through the vortex chamber.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a process and apparatus for oxygenating an aqueous solution which is comparatively simple in design, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and highly effective in performance.